He’s team captain and she’s on the bleachers.
Taylor Swift went public with her and Travis Kelce’s romance in September 2023, two months after he expressed interest in the Grammy winner on his “New Heights” podcast.
Not only did the singer start showing support at the Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s NFL games, but she attended afterparties and even helped celebrate his birthday.The unexpected duo’s budding romance marked Kelce’s first since his 2022 split from on-again, off-again girlfriend Kayla Nicole.
Swift, for her part, dated Joe Alwyn from 2016 to 2023 before having a brief fling with the 1975 frontman Matty Healy.
Take a look at how Swift went from being Kelce’s crush to a staple at Arrowhead Stadium.Long before romance rumors, Kelce admitted on AfterBuzz TV that he wanted to smooch Swift during a game of “Kiss, Marry, Kill.”
Meanwhile, he chose to kill Ariana Grande and marry Katy Perry.
Kelce was doing press at the time to promote his “Catching Kelce” dating show, on which he narrowed a pool of women down from 50 to one.Kelce tried — and failed — to give Swift his phone number at the Kansas City, Mo., stop of her Eras Tour in July 2023, which left the athlete feeling “butthurt.”
He told podcast listeners that he put his number on a friendship bracelet but was unable to give it to the singer because she “didn’t want to meet” him.
“She doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings,” Kelce explained. “I took it personal.”Two months after Kelce shot his shot, the Messenger reported that he had been “quietly hanging out” with the songwriter.
“She saw him when she was in NYC a few weeks ago,” a source told the outlet.
Notably, Kelce confirmed in a podcast episode the previous month that he had recently been in New York.Despite the tight end claiming in September 2023 that he was “still searching” for love, his brother, Jason Kelce, hinted at Travis’ romance with Swift on multiple occasions.
The Philadelphia Eagles player cryptically told “Thursday Night Football” viewers that his younger sibling was “having fun” but would not comment further.
He later said on the “WIP Morning Show” that the speculation was “100 percent true” — only to walk back the “joke.”Swift made headlines when she rocked an opal necklace, which is Kelce’s birthstone, amid the swirling romance rumors.
Kelce also wore telling jewelry that same month, as he was photographed with a beaded friendship bracelet on his wrist featuring lyrics from one of Swift’s songs at a Kelce Car Jam charity event.
Days after Travis admitted to inviting Swift to his game against the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the performer watched the sporting event from his suite.Swift dressed for the occasion in the team’s colors, cheered enthusiastically for her rumored beau’s touchdown and chatted with his mom, Donna Kelce.
She and Travis looked cozy leaving the match together and drove off in the NFL player’s getaway car.The “affectionate” pair subsequently partied with his friends and family members at the Prime Social rooftop bar in Kansas City.
An eyewitness told Page Six that Travis and Swift “left together” after 1 a.m.
Days later, a photo emerged of Swift cuddling up to Travis as she chatted with his pals.While Swift kept quiet about her game day with Travis, he gushed about how “ballsy” her presence was — and how “amazing” she looked — in a “New Heights” podcast episode the following week.
“Everybody in the suite had nothing but good things to say about her,” he said. “Everybody was talking about her in great light and on top of that, the day went perfect for Chiefs.”
Swift even traveled to the game with Travis’ loved ones from his $1 million mansion, according to a picture obtained by the Daily Mail.After Swift’s surprise appearance at the Chiefs game, Travis’ jersey sales spiked nearly 400 percent, according to a spokesperson for the NFL’s official e-commerce partner, Fanatics.
In fact, many styles of his jersey even sold out.
As Swifties snapped up merch, reports swirled that Swift would attend Travis’ game against the New York Jets the following week.Swift did indeed make an appearance at the Kansas City Chiefs’ October 2023 game at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — and she brought an entourage of A-list pals.
Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman, Sophie Turner and more stars helped Swift cheer on her man as he played in a tough match against the New York Jets.
The night before the game, the “Anti-Hero” singer enjoyed a girls’ night out in NYC with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ wife, Brittany Mahomes, in tow while Travis had dinner with friends.
